'Not our remit' - Authorities pass the buck on environment, public space issues

Representatives of several authorities including the Planning Authority, the Environment and Resources Authority and the Police have declared they are not responsible for issues affecting Malta’s environment such as overdevelopment and excessive noise.

At a recent conference entitled “Putting Residents First” organised by Flimkien għal Ambjent Aħjar, representatives of the PA, ERA, the Occupational Health and Safety Authority , Lands Department, Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disability, Transport Malta and the Police all said the same thing: “It’s not our remit”.

However, FAA pointed out this was the result of “flawed legislation” passed in 2017 which divided responsibility across various authorities.

“Enforcement duties, previously centralised under the police, are unaccounted for by the new law that inexplicably fails to clearly stipulate which authority is ultimately responsible for enforcement. This legislative void has created a vacuum of accountability, leading to the rampant issues Malta is currently facing,” FAA coordinator Astrid Vella said on Thursday.

She noted that during the conference, the representatives of various authorities openly expressed frustration with how the “system is designed to fail their objectives, with residents concluding that authorities are restrained by politicians’ lack of commitment to provide strong enforcement legislation.”

When asked about the authorities’ efforts towards achieving the common good, the CRPD representative replied that “authorities do not consider disabled people part of the common good”.

“This highlights a fundamental and deeply concerning shortcoming within the current regulatory framework, underscoring an alarming disregard for inclusivity and explaining the lack of commitment to ensure safe access on Malta’s pavements and squares,” Vella said.

The conference gave residents the opportunity to express their concerns and frustration over collateral damage from overdevelopment, excessive noise and the abuse of public space in Malta and Gozo.

FAA noted the "disappointing lack of engagement" from the Malta Tourism Authority and the Building and Construction Authority after they failed to send any representatives to participate in the conference discussion panels.

Highlighting the “palpable” frustration from the public present at the conference, Vella urged “all relevant authorities and political stakeholders” to address the “severe repercussions” of these issues on resident’s mental and physical health and wellbeing.

FAA stressed the need to engage constructively in finding immediate and long-term solutions.

“The time for excuses, fragmented responsibilities, and passing the buck is clearly over,” she said.

President Myriam Spiteri Debono closed the conference by pointing out that social wellbeing, quality of life and sustainable growth “should not be overlooked”.